Bosch Brewing Company - Back To Brewing

Back To Brewing

The reprieve came in 1933 when the 21st amendment repealed prohibition, and Bosch was able to return to brewing, although only the Scheuermann plant reopened.

In 1937, Joseph Bosch died at aged 87. His daughter, Katherine Bosch, and grandsons James and Phillip Ruppe took over the company. Under their leadership, the company saw continuous growth and increasing sales. After reopening, Bosch continued to prosper. In 1955, sales were over the 100,000 barrel mark.

The good relationship between company and community maintained local brand loyalty. One advertising theme was “Refreshing as the Sportsman’s Paradise”, and the beer labels announced "From the Sportsman’s Paradise…Smooth, Mellow, Golden," with a picture of a fisherman reeling in a fish with pine trees in the background. An advertisement titled "It’s the FLAVOR that wins you!" had a picture of a skier zooming down a hill, and "Bosch – The Gold Medal Beer" below. With ads such as these, Bosch tied itself to local pride in the outdoor activities and natural beauty of the area. The Bosch Brewing Co. was also the third-largest employer in the area.

The Bosch Brewing Company reached its peak in 1955, producing one hundred thousand barrels. Five years later, however, Bosch’s sales began to decline. By 1965, the Bosch family sold the company to local investors led by Charles Finger, who pushed for new technology and products to resurrect the company.

Brewer’s Digest commented in 1966: "Certainly the Bosch Brewing Co. has all of the ingredients for success that a smaller brewery can have – an efficient, well equipped plant; dedicated employees who know their jobs thoroughly and who take personal pride in the products the company markets; an intimate and realistic knowledge of the market it serves and of the consumers’ desires. But most of all it has an enthusiastic management, the kind of enthusiasm that can become contagious among potential customers."

In 1968, Bosch introduced a Sauna Beer, developed after consultation with brewers in Finland. According to The Houghton Daily Mining Gazette: "This beer is for those who prefer a light bodied, mildly flavorful, bitter-free beer, light lunches, and long evenings." It was a light beer similar to Finnish "kalja", and was called a perfect after-sauna thirst quencher. Since many local residents had Finnish ancestry, and so were familiar with saunas, Sauna Beer sold well, and won Houghton County’s Product of the Year Contest in 1968.

By the late 1960s, Bosch was making three beers, all light lagers: Sauna Beer, the flagship label Bosch, and premium Gilt Edge.